Career and Education Opportunities for Sound Engineers in St. Paul, Minnesota

Many educational and employment opportunities exist for sound engineers in the St. Paul, Minnesota area. There are currently 270 jobs for sound engineers in Minnesota and this is projected to grow 8% to 290 jobs by 2016. This is better than the national trend for sound engineers, which sees this job pool growing by about 6.3% over the next eight years. Sound engineers generally operate machines and equipment to record, synchronize, or reproduce music, voices, or sound effects in sporting arenas, theater productions, or movie and video productions.

Sound engineers earn about $22 per hour or $47,590 annually on average in Minnesota and about $22 hourly or $47,490 yearly on average nationally. Sound engineers earn more than people working in the category of Media Technical generally in Minnesota and more than people in the Media Technical category nationally. People working as sound engineers can fill a number of jobs, such as: recording engineer, studio engineer, and sound equipment mechanic.

There are four schools within twenty-five miles of St. Paul where you can study to be a sound engineer, among seventy-seven schools of higher education total in the St. Paul area. Given that the most common education level for sound engineers is a post-secondary certificate, you can expect to spend a short time studying to be a sound engineer if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Sound Engineer

Sound Engineer video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

Sound engineers report equipment problems and insure that required repairs are made. They also assemble and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances; tear down equipment after event completion. Equally important, sound engineers have to record speech and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment. They are often called upon to regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles. They are expected to mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards. Finally, sound engineers get ready for recording sessions by performing efforts such as selecting and setting up microphones.

Every day, sound engineers are expected to be able to note differences between sounds as they change tone and volume. They need to focus on a single sound in a noisy environment. It is also important that they understand what others are saying to them even in a noisy environment.

It is important for sound engineers to talk with producers and others to establish and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film. They are often called upon to reproduce and duplicate sound recordings from original recording media, using sound editing and duplication equipment. They also synchronize and equalize prerecorded dialogue and sound effects with visual action of motion pictures or television productions, using control consoles. Somewhat less frequently, sound engineers are also expected to keep logs of recordings.

Sound engineers sometimes are asked to separate instruments and other sounds, and combine sounds later during the mixing or postproduction stage. They also have to be able to develop musical instrument digital interface programs for music projects or film postproduction and keep logs of recordings. And finally, they sometimes have to regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles.

Like many other jobs, sound engineers must be thorough and dependable and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in St. Paul include:

Audio Visual Technician. Set up or set up and operate audio and video equipment including microphones, sound speakers, video screens, projectors, video monitors, recording equipment, connecting wires and cables, sound and mixing boards, and related electronic equipment for concerts, sports events, meetings and conventions, presentations, and news conferences. May also set up and operate associated spotlights and other custom lighting systems.

Broadcast Technician. Set up, operate, and maintain the electronic equipment used to transmit radio and television programs. Control audio equipment to regulate volume level and quality of sound during radio and television broadcasts. Operate radio transmitter to broadcast radio and television programs.

Camera Operator. Operate television, video, or motion picture camera to photograph images or scenes for various purposes, such as TV broadcasts, advertising, or motion pictures.

Technical Director. Coordinate activities of technical departments, such as taping, editing, and maintenance, to produce radio or television programs.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Sound Engineer Training

Institute of Production and Recording - Minneapolis, MN

Institute of Production and Recording, 312 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Institute of Production and Recording is a small school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs. It has 312 students and an admission rate of 80%. Institute of Production and Recording has an associate's degree program in Recording Arts Technology/Technician which graduated 145 students in 2008.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College - Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis Community and Technical College, 1501 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403-1779. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a medium sized college located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 9,539 students. Minneapolis Community and Technical College has an associate's degree program in Recording Arts Technology/Technician which graduated eleven students in 2008.

Hennepin Technical College - Brooklyn Park, MN

Hennepin Technical College, 9000 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Park, MN 55445. Hennepin Technical College is a medium sized college located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 5,617 students. Hennepin Technical College has a one to two year and an associate's degree program in Recording Arts Technology/Technician which graduated five and nine students respectively in 2008.

North Central University - Minneapolis, MN

North Central University, 910 Elliot Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404-1391. North Central University is a small university located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 1,136 students and an admission rate of 29%. North Central University has a bachelor's degree program in Recording Arts Technology/Technician.

Certified Broadcast Networking Technologist:
This certification is designed for persons who wish to demonstrate a basic familiarity with networking hardware as utilized in business and audio/video applications in broadcast facilities.

Certified Broadcast Radio Engineer :
The candidate for Certified Broadcast Radio Engineer must have five (5) years of suitable experience in broadcast engineering or related technology and must achieve a passing grade on the proficiency examination.

Certifed AM Directional Specialist:
The SBE Program of Certification designed the AM Directional Specialist Certification to help evaluate an individual's ability to perform the necessary tasks to keep facilities operating properly.

LOCATION INFORMATION: St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Paul, Minnesota photo by Gridge

St. Paul is located in Ramsey County, Minnesota. It has a population of over 279,590, which has shrunk by 2.6% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in St. Paul, 99, is near the national average. New single-family homes in St. Paul are valued at $213,300 on average, which is well below the state average. In 2008, thirty new homes were built in St. Paul, down from seventy-four the previous year.

The three most popular industries for women in St. Paul are educational services, health care, and finance and insurance. For men, it is educational services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and construction. The average commute to work is about 21 minutes. More than 32.0% of St. Paul residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 12.0%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in St. Paul is 7.4%, which is greater than Minnesota's average of 7.0%.

The percentage of St. Paul residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 61.3%, is more than both the national and state average. Zion Church, Convent of the Visitation and Saint Paul Cathedral are some of the churches located in St. Paul. The most prominent religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Baptist General Conference.

St. Paul is home to the Saint Paul Orphange and the Wilder Center as well as Terrace Park and East View Playground.